South Korea – At the 2023 Solutrans show hosted in Lyon, Hankook Tire & Technology of Seongnam-si, South Korea, unveiled its first EV-specific developed CV tyre prototype, the e-SMaRT AU56 City product. Hankook has now displayed the finished product at the Tire Cologne 2024 (4 to 6 June) Expo, and announced that the product is now in series production in Rácalmás Hungary.

The first tyres to roll off the production line will be in size 275/70 R22.5, designed for the urban electric bus market. According to Hankook, this is the first tyre specifically designed for the EV Commercial Vehicle (CV) tyre market. EV tyres are different, due to supporting the added weight from EV batteries as well as an increase in torque, meaning that EV tyres require a higher level of grip. The e-SMaRT tyres have been designed with low rolling resistance in mind, optimising battery life and therefore vehicle mileage. To achieve all of this, a combination of new materials has been used to increase the tyre mileage and reduce the rolling resistance. The 3D printed mould has altered the tread patterns, which delivers much better tyre grip and traction.